Everybody Else Be Damned
by Authourinthemaking
Summary: "Diggle, I made a choice." "I know, and you chose Laurel. Always her. Everybody else be damned." Oliver makes a choice, not fully comprehending what he is revealing by it. Thea notices Oliver's mood and determines to find out who this person is that has her brother so distracted and shaken, and that he would choose over everyone else, even his own family.


**Authour's Note: I've got major writer's block on my other stories, so I decided to branch out and do some one-shots involving other fandoms. I will get back to my multi-chapter stories, eventually.**

* * *

 **Everyone Else Be Damned**

Oliver paced while he waited with his sister in the upstairs lobby of the court house. "Thea?" the attorney called, as she exited the courtroom.

"Can we call it a night?" Thea asked. The attorney sighed and replied,

"Jury just signaled they could have a verdict."

Oliver's eyes grew wide and placed he thumb and middle finger over the bridge of his nose. Thea drew in her breath. "Judge will not send them home. He wants to get this over with," the attorney continued.

"Line forms behind me," sighed a very tired Thea. Oliver sighed heavily, lowering his hand and looking at the attorney. "A verdict that quickly is bad isn't it?" he asked. She nodded.

"I think the two of you should prepare yourself for the worst," she said. She then turned to leave.

Just then, Oliver's phone began to ring. He looked at the caller ID. It was Laurel, but when he answered it, an unfamiliar voice spoke. "Hello. You were expecting someone else, weren't you? Well, I believe I have someone you care about," it said. Oliver's brow furrowed.

Laurel's muffled whimpers could be heard over the phone. The guy obviously had her gagged, and probably tied. "Who are you and what do you want?" Oliver demanded.

"Let's just say I'm a fan," the voice replied.

"What do you want?" Oliver repeated.

"What any fan wants. To meet you, of course! And to see you dance!" More whimpers from Laurel, and Oliver frowned. "And to motivate you," the voice continued, "I picked up a little friend of yours. She certainly knows her rights." A muffled scream, and sound of struggle on the part of Laurel. "But you see, I don't operate under the law. If I don't see you within the next three hours, your precious attorney dies!" And with that, the line went dead.

Oliver puffed out his breath and put away his phone. He looked back at Thea, and then at the door. Should he stay with his sister, or go save Laurel? Both needed him. Which one would he go to? This was a tough decision. Save Laurel, or stay with Thea? Save Laurel, or wait for his mother's sentence? Laurel, or his mother?

Before he had time to make a decision, his phone started ringing, again. "Felicity," he said, having seen the caller ID.

"Oliver," a voice that did not belong to Felicity replied.

He frowned. "Is it okay if I call you Oliver?" the voice asked. "Surprised to hear from me, right? Not as surprised as surprised as I was. You see, I find this…not unattractive blonde getting all up in my business."

He heard some whimpering from Felicity and his frown deepened. "And what does she have on her?" the voice continued. "A Queen Consolidated ID badge." Oliver closed his eyes, trying to keep calm. "Now, I think to myself, why does that name ring a bell? Oliver Queen. He tried to buy me off last year just before the hood put me in a padded cell. Ipso facto…Arrow!"

More whimpering from Felicity, and his brow furrowed. Without looking back, he hung up and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" Thea called.

"Uh," he stammered, being pulled back to her present reality. He turned and walked quickly back to his sister. "Something's come up at the office," he replied, half truthfully, before heading for the door again.

Thea scoffed and gestured toward the courtroom. "Ollie, the…the jury," she reminded, incredulously.

"I have to go!" he cried in an almost scared voice. She frowned. What could affect him so, she wondered. She had never seen Oliver that shaken. Therefore, she was determined to ask him about it when he got back, because there was obviously no stopping him from doing whatever was apparently so much more important than their mother's trial.

* * *

He walked down the top floor hallway of Queen Consolidated and looked around. Everything was quiet; too quiet. Finally, he found them. The Count sat behind a trembling Felicity, playing with her ponied hair. "Pretty swanky offices," the Count commented. He stood up, adding, "You can see all the destruction your mom cause from up here."

"What do you want?" he demanded.

He had demanded to know who had Laurel and what he wanted before he even considered going to rescue her. With Felicity, however, the fact that someone had her was enough for him to race to her. Although, he didn't quite put these feelings or realizations into coherent thought. All he could think about was Felicity.

The Count held his arms out to the side, and then dropped them. "World peace and personal satisfaction," he replied. "Though not necessarily in that order," he added, placing his hands on Felicity's shoulders and rubbing tenderly.

Felicity cringed as he continued. "You poisoned me and put me in a hole. You have no idea how much I hated you for that. Turns out, someone else hates you, too."  
"Who?" Oliver seethed.

"Who?" the Count mocked. "Oh, you're going to be surprised when you find out. He's a man of means." He spread his arms on the last word. "Set me up with my operation, so I could draw you out."

"To do what?" Oliver quipped.

"This," the Count replied, firing a gun at him.

Oliver ducked and ran for cover behind the couch. "You're gonna have to try harder," Oliver called.

"Done!" the Count shouted back, firing more shots.

Oliver ran to the next room and hid, waiting for them to move. Sure enough, they did. The Count had Felicity by her hair, and she was struggling to get free. Oliver dropped down from his hiding place and pointed an arrow at the Count. "So now we move on the Plan B," he growled, putting down the gun and pulling out a syringe filled with Vertigo.

He placed it near Felicity's neck. "Oliver, don't! Not for me!" she exclaimed.

"Quiet, please. I'm threatening," the Count retorted. "Lower your bow."

Breathing heavily, Oliver slowly obeyed and threw his arrow to the ground. "Your problem is with me…it's not with her," he said, shaking his head, and looking at the Count with pleading eyes. "Well, then, consider this your penalty for making me go to Plan B in the first place," the Count quipped, as he raised the syringe to plunge it into Felicity's neck.

At that moment, Oliver's body reacted out of instinct, as it would have on the island, or while he was in Hong Kong or Russia. He had no control over what he did. He had no control over the three arrows he whipped from his quiver and struck the Count in the heart with. He had no control; he body reacted out of instinct. Felicity's life was on the line, and Oliver did not hesitate to do whatever it took to save her.

She had slumped to the floor the second she same the arrow flying her direction. He closed his eyes and slowly let out his breath he didn't know he was holding. He had just killed again, after making a vow not to—but this wasn't just anybody, this was Felicity.

He then looked down to where Felicity was crumpled on the floor and ran over to her. He got down on one knee and reached toward her, placing his hand on her cheek. "Hey, hey," he called gently. "Shh, shhh, shhh. It's alright. You're safe."

Panting, she looked up at him and took his wrist. His eyes asked if she was hurt. She then noticed the wound on his arm. "Oh, you're shot," she breathed, reaching for his wounded arm. "Hey. It's nothing," he insisted, shaking his head and gently stroking her check with his thumb. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Since she seemed to be okay, he got to his feet and went to the window. He looked down at the body of the Count which had fallen out of the window and on top of a taxi cab. Sirens could be heard, signifying the police were already making their way to the scene. With a sigh, he looked straight ahead. He had killed again. But Tommy couldn't be mad, right? Because it was Felicity. Tommy would do the same thing for Laurel. Speaking of Laurel…

* * *

He made sure Felicity made it to the lair safe and sound. John Diggle quickly patched him up. Then, leaving Felicity in John's capable hands, Oliver called Detective Lance, as the Arrow, and told him of Laurel's situation, assuring him that as long as he could get to the guy before he was able to kill Laurel, she would be fine. He promised he'd pay the psycho a visit in jail. Lance agreed. Oliver then returned to court, still somewhat shaken, and not fully comprehending what he had just admitted to himself and the world by his actions.

* * *

He walked in and found Thea sitting on a bench. "Any news?" he asked.

"Where have you been?" she demanded in a whisper.

"Something…happened at Queen Consolidated. And you will…see it on the news later. Just don't worry about it now," her brother panted.

She shook her head in disbelief. "What would you have done if there had been a verdict?" she accused.

"Thea…I don't know," he panted.

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

He was obviously still shaken, but she couldn't tell what it was. She knew it had nothing to do with Queen Consolidated, at least not directly. It may have happened there, but _it_ was not business. She was even more determined to find out what had him so shaken.

He was about to reply when the attorney came out and said the jury was back. Oliver sighed, and let his blink last a second or two longer than normal. Thea looked at him, concerned, and lightly rubbed his arm. "Come on," she whispered. They then turned and followed the attorney inside.

* * *

After his mother was declared not guilty, Oliver slipped out and went to the lair. There, the three Team Arrow members discussed this verdict, and how Oliver had expected a different result, so much so that he couldn't see how she had been acquitted. He added that they were processing her at that moment. "I just wanted to check in on you," he then said, looking at John. "And you," he added, turning to Felicity.

"I'm feeling better," John replied. Felicity then put in that Queen Consolidated Applied Science Division had found a non-addictive cure for the Vertigo disease. "Good," he whispered.

He then looked at his watch. "I need to meet my family at home," he said, getting off the table on which he'd been partially sitting. "So, you guys go home, get rest." John shook his hand, lightly slapped him on the shoulder, and then left.

He let out his breath in an almost contented sigh and looked at Felicity. His smile extended to his eyes. "Goodnight," he whispered.

"Goodnight," she whispered back, returning his smile.

He turned to leave, but whirled back around when she called his name and looked at her expectantly. "I, uh…I just wanted to say thank you," she stammered.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding, as if it were as natural as breathing for him to save her.

"And I'm sorry," she continued.

At this, his brow furrowed and he took a step toward her. "For what?" he questioned. She hadn't done anything wrong. Why should she be apologizing? "I got myself into trouble again and you…killed him," she explained. "You killed again and I'm sorry that I was the one to put you in a position where you had to make that kind of choice."

He took another step closer to her and firmly grabbed her hand. "Felicity," he breathed. "He had you and he was going to hurt you. There was no choice to make." He shook his head for emphasis. She smiled at him. He returned her smile with a small one of his own. Then, he turned and walked out the door.

* * *

When he got home, Thea demanded to know where he had been this time, and what was going on with him. He didn't reply. "Ollie!" she nearly shouted. "Talk to me! You said I'd see it on the news. Was it Laurel? You had to see if she was okay, didn't you? You didn't trust her father, who's a cop, to rescue her, so you had to check on her yourself! Laurel always comes first, doesn't she? Even before your family!"

"It was Felicity!" Oliver barked.

Thea frowned. "You mean, you left Laurel to the police? You didn't go after her?" she cried. "You went to the office to consult with your IT girl while mom was awaiting a verdict? God, Oliver! What is it with you and blo…"

"He was going to kill her, Thea! He was going to kill Felicity!" he almost sobbed.

"Who?" she questioned, noting how upset he was over this. "Who was going to kill her?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. The Arrow killed him," he replied. She gasped.

"Ollie," she cooed. He shook his head and drew away. He then walked quickly to his room and closed the door.

She sighed heavily and furrowed her brow. Who was the Felicity person? And how was she able to shake the unshakeable Oliver Queen? Thea definitely needed to meet this woman that her brother obviously loved so much that everyone else could be damned and he wouldn't care.


End file.
